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12/27/12

Attention...Dear Amigos...you are about to enter the "Controversial Zone" If you think you can handle breaking away with tradition and all that it involves, if you are ready to wave your flag in the air, paint your face in war colors and in the best Bravehart behavior yell Freedom, You are in the Right Place, Carry On and Keep Reading!

In my few weeks on Blog world I have realized things move super fast , one holiday is barely over when people are already planning and decorating for the next. Perhaps I need to drink more coffee and catch on if I want to be among the best. If that is the case the I'm way ahead of the pack with this post. At the same tine, very appropriately it might as well be my proverbial Kiss of Death!

Valentine's Day is 49 days away, and in my family we really don't celebrate it. I don't drive me husband crazy with hints of what would be nice to get that day, we, don't exchange cards, buy expensive chocolate, fight crowds for restaurant tables, pay exorbitant amount of money for flowers that on regular basis are $9.99 at the grocery store, neither or I go all out with decorating. I'm not going to lie. I like the colors, the cute decorations around that time of the year and see how pretty some houses get dressed up to celebrate Love Day! But I've never gone out of my way to do any of those things...am I the exception to the rule? Perhaps. But I'm O.K with that.

Is not that I'm The Grinch of Valentine's Day. Is just that I totally dislike the way such a nice event has been transformed into a Hallmark Holiday. No meaning, no real feeling for most just, buy and get kind of thing
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For a couple of years now I've tried to give my own meaning to the celebration of Love and what better way than to sharing and giving the gift of Life. February 14th is National Donor Day! That day people are encouraged to sign up for organ a tissue donation, as well as blood, marrow and blood stem cells.There are hundreds of thousands of Americans, adult and children in vital need of organs and every 2 seconds someone in America needs blood.

Me and my older son make appointments to go together to our local Red Close donor center and give blood. He was able to do it last year with me since he was at age to do it. To me in particular is always a painful challenge since my veins collapse almost at the same time they are putting the needle in and the sweet nurse has to try again, and again. At the end is all worth it ! I feel happy that I have made a significant contribution to my fellow brothers and sisters.

Again, I have nothing against all people out there who chooses to give and receive flowers, cards, some bling and yes Chocolate...after all at this blog we Support 100% all things chocolate. We as a family decided to make Valentines a Day of Giving since everyday we are blessed gifts of Love and Health by The One Above.

Does it means that I won't decorate for Valentine's at all....no, but I won't be rushing at it. I will make crafts with my little one, and hang a little heart here and there, but other than that Cupid can go fly and aim his arrows somewhere else, I will be getting my little pinch of love from the Red Cross!

12/23/12

Just in time for the Holidays I came across this recipe and what's even better I had every single ingredient handy! Isn't that perfect? Yes it Is!!!! Very simple and quick to make, you will be waiting more for them to bake and cool, than for them to disappear right before your eyes! They are very hard to put down and you will be coming back for just one more bite.

Without further ado here is the recipe:

M&M's Christmas Brownies

1 8oz package of Cream Cheese

1 egg

1/8 cup of Milk

1/3 cup of Sugar

1 Package of Brownie Mix of your preference, Cake style is preferred.

1/2 cup Milk M&M's

1/4 cup Marshmallows (optional)

These are Milk M&M's but Almond or Peanut would be great too!

I found that Marshmallows give Brownies extra gooey texture!

Heat your oven at 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl mix the Brownie mix according to instructions. Pour 2/3 of the mix in a parchment paper covered 9x13 baking mold. Drop the 1/4 cup of Marshmallows all over the Brownie mix. Set aside.

By the time I had to add the Marshmallows I think only a few were left! LOL

In a separate bowl, mix the Cream Cheese, Egg, Milk, Sugar until everything is well blended. Pour this mix over the mold containing the Brownie and Marshmallows. Try to cover as much area as possible.

Pour the rest of the brownie mix and with a fork or a knife scrape the surface to create a marble look a like look.

Add the 1/2 cup of M&M's spread all over your brownie/cream cheese mix and place it in the oven for 40-45 minutes until spongy but after testing it with a knife in the middle comes out clean.

It can get any easier and delicious than this!

Have them with a glass of milk or a cup of your favorite coffee! Yummy!

The layer of Cream Cheese, just puts them in a whole new category of sweet and savory morsel!

Give this little guys a try! You will love them as much as my family does!

This is going to be my last post until Christmas! Wishing you all Peace, Love, Harmony and Health!FelizNavidad! Merry Christmas!

12/22/12

Hola Amigos! Seems like up here, we are going to have a White Christmas after all! The kids are finally on Christmas Break and excited about Christmas! Time to celebrate the Season with the family.
I want to share with you a candlelight walk through our home. Today was a very dark and windy day, a blizzard is hitting us at this moment...not the best when you need to take blog photos, but perfect if you want to create an atmosphere of coziness with the warmth of aromatic candles, tucked in under a thick blanket and sipping a cup of hot cocoa! Ready?....let's go for a little walk.

Our entry comes to life with our simple and traditional tree, a candy garland to give the area a touch of whimsy, my FIL's sled from back when he was a little 7 year old and an old tool box filled with bags of treats to help us count down the days left for Christmas.

Here you are also going to run into our Baker Santa right next to one of his latest creations, a gingerbread house and a peppermint infused candle to put you right in the holiday mood!

Our Kitchen has little touches of Christmas here and there, because for us, the main attraction of this area are the different smells of the season... ginger, clove and spices! It sure feels like Christmas!

I am crazy about signs and this one is one of my favorites and since the kids are now off it will live to it's expectations...keeping a full Cocoa Bar for all to enjoy 24/7!

Even Mrs Claus and Santa share their love for cocoa and goodies around the kitchen!

Our kitchen faces the family room, to us our main room and here, a variety of Nutcracker Folks await friends and family offering their cupcakes, gingerbread cookies and even s'mores, all with a smile of course.

There are trees around the house to make each member feel special...but a tree comes to life at night when all the lights shine and makes us feel all warm inside!

Each one with it's own magic!

Each one with it's own story!

All the elements above help fill this house with spirit of Christmas. But the most important one is Love! and that one my friends...no matter the frightful weather outside always shines with a light of its one creating the Picture Perfect HOME! Happy Holidays!

12/20/12

Hola Amigos! This is the last stretch to Christmas and with all the decorating behind, it was time to shop for last minute presents and yes...the dreaded wrapping of very awkward looking boxes!...I know right, why can't every single item come in a nice square box!!! Oh no...that would be the ideal "Lizy World" that we don't live in. While tangled in wrapping paper and tape I've had very little time to come here and chat with you all! But today, I heard the words that always stop me in my tracks...Mom...I'm bored!!!! OH NO!!! time to panic...because you know when they are bored..something gets trashed, smashed or broken....well at least in my house.

It has been a very dark and rainy day here, and I wasn't looking forward to go out and drive in the rain dragging a 4 yo along, so what a mom to do...Let's check the trash dear, the recyclables that is!

So, out of the recyclables came a little bottle of Martinelli's Blood Orange Drink, an empty container of yogurt, an empty roll of toilet paper, and empty container of Peanut Butter, the rest of the materials, like buttons, pipe cleaners, yarn and cardboard paper I had handy.

First you clean all your containers, cut a circle with big enough to be the wing of the hat. This part of the process you have to help your little one, unless they are good enough already at cutting. cut another hole inside big enough to fit the mouth of the yogurt container. Set aside.

With a little bit of acrylic paint paint the yogurt container and hat wing (circle) black. Let it dry. In the meantime while your hat is drying. You take your Matinelli's drink container, wash, dry and peel the plastic wrap with the name of the beverage. You would be left with a clear plastic chubby bottle. Coat it with white paint...you could leave it like that, but if you want you could glittered it a little bit to make it look a bit more Frosty. I used Martha Stewart Glitter paint in Antique Silver. Let it dry. Do the same with the Peanut Butter container.

Back to your hat. time to put together the yogurt container inside the circle you had previously cut out on the cardboard. It should fit tight in the cardboard circle. Decorate your hat as you please. We wrapped a little bit of yarn around the base where the body of the hat meets the wing and glued a few decorations (sorry, no time to take pics when you are working with a preschooler). In the inside of the hat we place half of the toilet paper roll so the hat doesn't cover the face of our snowman.

Your containers should be dry by now or maybe watch an episode of Imagination Movers...that would make time go faster! Once your containers are dry, time to decorate..buttons for eyes...pipe cleaners for nose and mouth. Same thing for the body or whatever little things you have at hand to make our buddy here look presentable for the festivities.
Glue the head to the lid of your PB jar. We covered the "neck" of our snowman with a little piece of felt that we had around and it became the snowman's scarf and he is ready! don't try to make it perfect, after all you have your kids working with you and the idea is to have fun and spend quality time together not M.Stewart award perfect!

My little one who at this time likes everything shinny wanted to stuff the snowman with glow sticks...and he did! and I think he looks kind of cute! Good idea Buddy! It could be your child's little Xmas treasure box, you can store crackers, Qtips or whatever you want! It's something to keep them entertained and have fun!
And now than an hour has gone by, what are we going to do next? Oh Oh....